The Cleveland Cavaliers have not been a very good defensive team, and Kenny Atkinson is not going to let his guys off the hook for that one. There is an unfortunate simplicity these problems can get boiled down it. In its most straightforward form: communication might be the biggest problem.
Atkinson highlighted issues with the compete level in his now viral postgame tirade following the Orlando Magic win. It was just after that when the Cavaliers coach hinted at the aforementioned problem that has plagued Cleveland.
Atkinson said, "Along with the compete level there's an IQ level, an understanding of the game. ... The last part of that is communication. ... We've got two weeks to figure it out, and that's a challenge for this group. Right now we just think we can outscore people."
That really is the crux of it right there. Atkinson was unrelenting in not putting the blame on who was not there — namely Jarrett Allen. This was not a personnel issue. Even now, the Cavaliers still have guys on every level who are capable defenders. They must figure out how to function together.
Cavaliers have to literally talk their way out of the defensive deficiencies
Switching, the help defense, guarding the perimeter — these are all areas that have suffered from the Cavaliers' inability to operate fluidly as a unit on the defensive end.
They are a middle of the pack unit on that end for the total duration of the season. They have gotten worse in the second half of the campaign that has followed the All-Star break.
Having both Allen and Evan Mobley available to clean up mistakes goes a long way, and it has in the past. However, the return of the starting center will only be a patchwork solution without cleaning up the real problem at hand.
The Cavaliers continue to rank towards the bottom of the NBA when it comes to defending the 3-point shot. That is a key metric that shows just how bad their communication issues have been on the perimeter in particular. Allen and Mobley cannot be the clean-up crew in that department.
Being a talkative and communicative team on the defensive end is the reason a team like the Golden State Warriors managed to be so successful during the dynasty years where they were winning championship after championship. Yes, the offensive firepower was ridiculous, but so was their ability to get stops.
Draymond Green is a polarizing figure to most NBA fans, but his role as a vocal leader, positioning the chess pieces, helped play a big part of what made those teams so elite. The personnel for the Warriors was good, but far from perfect. The communication made up the difference.
The Cavs need to talk out their problems. If they don't consistently deliver, Atkinson has already given a brutally honest assessment of how short their stay in the NBA Playoffs will be.